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a short history of Estonia

Brief History of Estonia

Estonia has a rich history which dates back to prehistoric times, when this part of the continent was first settled. Following the Northern Crusades, in 1227 the country was conquered by Danes and Germans, and for more than three centuries was part of the Livonian Confederation. During the 16th Century, Estonia became part of the Swedish Empire, only to be ceded by the Russian Empire in the year 1721.

After eight long and difficult centuries of Danish, Swedish, German and Russian rule, Estonia finally entered intp a period of national awakening in the mid-19th Century, and gained its independence at the beginning of the 20th Century, in 1918, only to be incorporated by force back into the USSR in 1940. A great part of the western European countries, strongly supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, considered this annexation illegal and never really recognized Estonia as a constituent part of the Soviet Union. As the 1980s progressed and the Soviet Union faced economic difficulties, Estonia made its way to autonomy.

In 1989, during the era of the non-violent Singing Revolution, Estonians rose to a major demonstration for self-determination and independence, called The Baltic Way, when more than two million people made a human chain that stretched through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Estonian independence was declared on August 20, 1991, and it was three years later that the last Russian troops left the country.

When Estonia became independent, it began to create and strengthen various economic and political connections with Western Europe to be recognized later as one of the most developing and prosperous countries from the former Soviet Bloc. In 2004, Estonia joined the European Union and NATO, and today leads an open and very liberal economy, has a transparent and easily understandable governmental system and attracts many investors. Ever since the country joined the European Union, it's been one of the most appealing tourist destinations in Europe, with an amazing 30% increase in the number of travellers the first year after joining.